Introducing a friend into the world of Ultra Running on the Cactus to the Clouds trail isn't recommended normally. However, on this occasion, my friend Dax Hock was up for the challenge. The route starts at 400 ft and goes up to 10,800 feet climbing steadily from a museum parking lot in Palm Springs to the top of the San Jacinto Mountain. Up and down, the trail covers about 50K or 30 miles.